Relevant partners

Relevant partners: The Care Act specifies the ‘relevant partners’ who have a reciprocal responsibility to co-operate. These are: other local authorities within the area; any other local authority which would be appropriate to co-operate with in a particular set of circumstances; NHS bodies in the authority’s area; local offices of the Department for Work and Pensions; Police services in the local authority areas and prisons and probation services in the local area. There may be other persons or bodies with whom a local authority should co-operate, in particular independent or private sector organisations for example care and support providers, NHS primary health providers, independent hospitals and private registered providers of social housing, the [Care Quality Commission] and regulators of health and social care professionals. In these cases, the local authority should consider what degree of co-operation is required, and what mechanisms it may have in place to ensure mutual co-operation (for example, via contractual means).